Zyxel 802.11g Wireless MIMO Router review

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Possibilities

When you start configuring the router the first thing that stands out is the excellent webinterface and menu structure. For novice users Zyxel offers easy wizzards and for the more advanced user the confguration options are numerous. 

  Setup wizard for novice users

The wireless side of the network can be protected in all the normal standards, not only 64 and 128 bit WEP can be used, but also WPA and WPA2. For business users 802.11X authentication is an option and the SSID can be hidden. Next to these features the router can also be set to only allow certain machines to connect through MAC identification. 

The router offers all current WLAN protection methods

An important positive on this router is the use of an SPI (Stateful Packet Inspection) firewall. This type of firewall actually checks the incoming TCP/IP packets and offers extra protection against attacks from outside. 

It is possible to set up virtual serers and you can use port triggering on the P-336M, but Zyxell takes things a step further by offering standard profiles for popular games. When you play a certain game it is very easy to setup the router for maximum results through the web interface. Universal Plug-and-Play (UPNP) is also supported, so games or programmes that use this feature will automatically communicate with the router and all the necessary ports are opened.

Configuring virtual servers and port triggering is simple because of more than 80 standard game profiles

The best aspect of the webinterface must be the extensive Quality of service (QOS) settings, this way it is easy to allow certain programs or PC's within the network priority access. Again this is good news for gamers, as the Zyxell will recognise the game you are playing and will prioritize the traffic, ensuring the lowest possible ping. Other programmes that send large amounts of data like streaming video or VoIP will benefit form QoS as they will receive extra bandwith. Another important feature is the possibility to set the router's total outgoing traffic; by setting this slightly under your maximum upload your provider allows, download speeds will never completely collaps because of an overload in upstream.

The extensive QoS possibilities of the router

Other companies like Linksys offer an equally extensive range of QoS options, but in combination with the other features the Zyxel does stand out from the competition.